Pray TV were an

Indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

Indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. They existed from 1987 until their breakup in 1997. They released four studio albums. A compilation CD was released in 2010. The band reformed for a one-off reunion show at the Yarra Hotel in Abbotsford (Melbourne) on 31 January 2015. After 20 years since their last recording, the band released a new album in August 2016, titled ''Horizontal Life''.

History

1987-1991: Formation and ''Flux''

Pray TV began in 1987 in

. The band's early sound was described as "songs that have a lot of energy and rock along with power, yet they project this depressive mood that most bands can only get by playing slow. It's a neat trick.'" The band had various members over the years, with the only consistent members being Aidan Halloran (vocals) and Martin Kennedy (guitar/bass). Joseph Kennedy, Martin's brother, was the drummer for most of the band's existence. Their debut 7" vinyl only single "In My Street", along with the 6 track, 12" vinyl only EP ''Sure'' were released in 1989 on Mr Spaceman. Both of these releases were recorded by Perri and Bo at the Phantom Tollbooth in Carlton, Melbourne. Shortly after these releases, Kennedy joined Ascot Vale band Mr Floppy as drummer, but left shortly after. The 7" vinyl only single "Spent" was released by Au Go Go Records in 1990. The 7" vinyl only single "Cold Dog Strew" was released in 1991 on Shock Records and was lifted from their debut CD LP ''Flux'' of the same year.

1992-1997: ''Paydirt'', ''Swinger's Paradise'' & ''Westona''

Pray TV's second album ''Paydirt'' was released on Shock Records in 1992. The album included a bonus track of the band covering the

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

song " Sorry Somehow", which was also regularly performed live. The released was followed by a series of shows in New York and Los Angeles with Radioactive label mates Live. In 1992 Pray TV featured on a CD called ''Dress Ups'' ( Shock Records) with other Melbourne bands The Glory Box and The Fauves, with each band performing a track from the others repertoire, as well as contributing one original track. Melbourne band Ripe were also intended to take part but didn't due to other recording commitments. In January 1994 they supported

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

at the Prince of Wales in St Kilda, Melbourne. Their third album ''Swinger's Paradise'' was released on Concubine Records in 1995. It was produced by

Ed Kuepper Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like ...

. On 27 July 1995 they performed on the

RMITV RMITV is a not-for-profit, community access television production facility based at RMIT University City Campus in Melbourne, Australia. It is a full member of the Melbourne Community Television Consortium, a not-for-profit consortium that ...

show

Under Melbourne Tonight ''Under Melbourne Tonight'' was a weekly live variety hour television program produced by RMITV that broadcast on C31 Melbourne. Reaching a weekly viewership of 55,000 people each week, the show was reviewed in ''The Age''s Green Guide by Jim Sch ...

Their fourth and final studio album ''Westona'' was released on The Hypnotized Label in 1996 and apart from Halloran and Kennedy, featured a new guitarist and drummer as well as new bass player Russell Baricevic, formerly of Geelong band Bored!. Pray TV disbanded in 1997 with a farewell show at the Public Bar in North Melbourne.

2015-present: Reunion and ''Horizontal Life''

The band reformed for a one-off reunion show at the Yarra Hotel in Abbotsford on 31 January 2015, with the line-up of Martin and Joseph Kennedy, Halloran and Baricevic. After 20 years since their last recording, the band released a new album in August 2016, titled ''Horizontal Life''. The album was launched at the Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood, Melbourne on 10 September 2016, with support from The Glory Box.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

* http://praytvband.com {{Authority control Australian indie pop groups Australian indie rock groups